Car and Driver - USA (2019-12)

continental shift

the numbers

Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-
drive, 4- or 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Base ...................................... $220,000 (est)
Engine: twin-turbocharged and
intercooled DOHC 48-valve W-12,
aluminum block and heads, port and
direct fuel injection
Displacement .............. 363 cu in, 5952 cc
Power ........................... 626 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque ...................... 664 lb-ft @ 1350 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch
automatic
Dimensions

• Wheelbase ...................................... 125.7 in


• L/W/H .......................... 209.3/77.9/58.4 in


• Curb Weight .................................. 5500 lb
  Performance (C/D est)


• 60 mph............................................... 3.6 sec


• 100 mph ........................................... 7.9 sec


• 1/4-Mile ........................................... 11.8 sec


• Top Speed .................................... 207 mph
  EPA Comb/City/Hwy ........... 13/21/16 mpg
  (C/D est)

Spur’s infotainment system is fully up to date, but Bentley
prefers you pay more attention to the car’s yards of leather
and wood veneer. The infotainment screen can be mounted
to a rotating chunk of dash that will, at the push of a but-
a[P[PRNYVaRYSV[SNc\_\SaU_RRN[NY\TN[Qb]R_ ½b\b gauges. Recall an old episode of Wheel of Fortune where Vanna White turned the letters on the big board and you’ll have an idea of how this $6 365 rotating display works. Thanks to rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll bars, and a new all-wheel-drive system programmed to remain in rear-drive in most conditions, the Spur feels surprisingly willing to pivot and play. Paired with an eight-speed dual- clutch automatic borrowed from Porsche, Bentley’s signa- ture twin-turbo W-1 2 is the only engine at launch, although NadV[ab_O\C%dVYYOR\ßR_RQRcR[abNYYf.V_]_V[TN[Q adaptive dampers deliver the hushed, unperturbed ride you would expect of a Bentley sedan. We should talk about price, just in case you’re trying to ¼T b_R\baVSf\bPN[dV[TaURZ[aUYf]Nf ZR[aDRQ\[μa UNcRN¼[NY[bZOR_S\_aURcRUVPYRV[PR/R[aYRfQ\R[μa yet know if the car will be subject to a gas-guzzler tax, but Re]RPaa\]NfNaYRNa<cR¼cRfRN`f\bμ_RY\X-
ing at about $3700 a month.

With the exception

of the center console,

most of the Spur’s

interior is common

to the Conti GT’s.

CAR AND DRIVER ~ DECEMBER 2019 THE RUNDOWN 89

Bentley didn’t sell any new Continental

GTs in the U.S. market for the 2019 model

year. That’s a bit of a problem considering the

big coupe is the brand’s big seller (by Bentley

standards, anyway). The redesigned GT was

supposed to go on sale last year as a 2019

model. But in late 2017, Bentley’s then newly

appointed chairman and CEO, Adrian Hallmark,

decided the model’s dual-clutch transmission

was not up to snuff. The resulting changes

effectively restarted the clock on U.S. certifi-

cation. Currently, only V-8 GTs are available in

the U.S., but the W-12 cars should make it to

market in early 2020. The delays do not impact

the Flying Spur, which should go on sale in the

first quarter of 2020, as planned. And perhaps

we have Hallmark to thank for the dual-clutch

transmission’s unusually smooth behavior. —DP